Self-climbing formwork hoist



Sept. 21, 1965 Filed July 16 1962 A. S. CULL SELF-CLIMBING FORMWORK HOIST 4 Sheets-Sheet l 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 16, 1962 Sept. 21, 1965 A. s. cULL 3,207,263

SELF-CLIMBING FORMWORK HOIST Filed July 16, 1952 4 sheets-sheet s 7 2 .1 as .I n

y 4 I I3 ,ff o

o I t "I8 34 ...f

Sept. 21, 1965 A. s. CULI. 3,207,263

SELF-CLIMBING FoRMwoRK HoIsT Filed July 16, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIGA United States Patent O SELF-CLIMBING FORMWORK HOIST Alan Sydney Cull, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, assignor to Civil & Civic Pty. Limited, Sydney, New

South Wales, Australia, a corporation of New South Wales Fired July 16, 1962, ser. No. 210,104 Claims priority, application Australia, lIuly 24, 1961, 7,258/ 6'1 6 Claims. (Cl. 1872) This invention relates to elevator means or hoists for transferring form Work and other materials between a lower floor and an upper floor of a building under con struction.

The materials which require vertical handling in a multi-storey framed building break down roughly to the proportions, 50% for the frame and 50% for the followon materials. Of materials moved during frame construction, approximately 50% comprises concrete and reinforcement, and 50% formwork.

The demand for movement of materials is not spread uniformly over the construction period, but starts at a slow rate, accelerates to a peak in both volume and variety and declines again to a slow rate in the finishing stages.

Where the peak demand is within the capacity of one appliance, the appliance used must have the capabilities and versatility to cater for the various handling services required.

However, where one appliance is not sufficient for the peak period, as is the case in large multi-storey buildings, the additional appliances can be selected and sited on the basis of economically catering for large repetitive items of the peak load independently, rather than as additional general duty appliances, and need only remain on the job for the peak period.

Such a large repetitive peak item is formwork.

The appliances generally available and used for vertical handling are:

(a) A tower hoist equipped with a slewing jib.

(b) A tower or climbing crane.

Both of these appliances have the capabilities and versatility to cater for vertical handling problems encountered on building construction. Because of their design for versatility however, they are not the optimum means of handling each type of material being handled.

In the case of formwork the fol-lowing advantages are gained by the self-climbing formwork hoist according to the present invention.

Advantages (l.) No operating crew is required.

(2.) Capital outlay is less.

(3.) The set up and breakdown costs are less.

(4.) No slinging or deslinging of formwork loads required.

(5.) The hoist is under the direct control of the formwork gang as their own handling system, eliminating waiting time for general purpose appliances.

(6.) The cost of climbing the appliance to the next floor to be formed is only l man hour.

(7.) The hoist is designed to carry the largest extensible formwork beam without the need to close for hoisting.

(8.) No cantilevered platforms are required at the formwork stripping iioor to allow jib or crane hook to reach the formwork being hoisted.

(9.) Because the hoist is continuously available and the loads do not require slinging a continuous cycle of strip, hoist and erect for formwork is possible eliminating storage and double handling at the floor being stripped and the floor being formed.

(110.) Because no support is required to the hoist from 3,207,263 Patented Sept. 21, 1965 ground, or the floors below its span of operation, it does not interfere with the completion of facade tinishes.

(11.) Because it is quickly and easily re-sited it provides means of handling formwork and other items below the ground floor in a liftwall or other suitable opening.

One object of the invention is to provide such elevator means which may operate indiependently of the semipermanent hoists extending from the bottom to the top of the building.

In a general form the invention is hoisting equipment comprising at least one generally upright post, means for retaining each post in a generally upright position, means for detachably retaining each post in a fixed position, a platform displaceably mounted on the post or posts, means for detachab-ly retaining the platform in a fixed position, means for displacing the platform approximately vertically when the post or posts is or are fixed and means for displacing the post or posts approximately vertically when the platform is fixed.

One particular form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE l is a fragmentary front elevation of three completed iioor slabs and one future oor slab of a building showing the hoisting equipment anchored to the intermediate completed floor,

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the hoisting equipment and building floor slabs shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the hoisting equipment in an intermediate position between oors,

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation near the lower end of one of the trolley housings at each end of the hoisting platform, and

FIGURE 5 is a plan view in section on the line 5-5 in FIGURE 4.

In the particular form of the invention shown there are provided two similar upright horizontally spaced rolled steel joists 6. Each joist 6 is provided along its outer face with a rack 7 secured to it as by welding or formed along it. The joists 6 extend for the collective height of four iioors 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the building, each joist 6 being supported on one or more of the oors and extending above the floor 11 being built.

Each joist 6 is supported on a lower floor 8 by a shoe 12. Each shoe 12 comprises a horizontal floor 13 which rests on the building floor and has spaced upright attached side wings 14.

The wings 14 extend beyond the outward edge 15 of the shoe 12 floor and an idler pulley 16 is carried by an axle rotatably mounted on the side wall extensions 14. The extensions of the wings are iianged inwardly, the iianges 17 being located respectively about the longitudinal edges of an inner plate 18 secured to the outside of the inner flange 19 of the joist 6 and extending along it. During relative movement of the shoe 12 and joist 6 the shoe idler pulley 16 engages the inside of the inner plate 18. Each shoe 12 is temporarily locked or clamped to the adjacent building floor 8, 9, and 10, eg., by bolts. The shoe wing flanges 17 engaging the plate 18 maintain the j oist 6 in an upright position.

If the upper iioors have not been poured sufficiently long to have developed their full strength, they are propped or otherwise temporarily Vsupported at points of extreme stress.

The elevator itself comprises a horizontal platform 20 supported if necessary on a trussed or other suitable beam 21 and extending between the two joists 6. The platform 20 carries a suitable motor and reduction gearing 22, the motor, if an electric one, being powered through a liexible lead.

At each end of the platform 20 is a channel shaped trolley housing 23 which partly encloses the outer llange 24 of the joist 6. The horizontal shaft 25 from the motor 22 extends through the housing walls 26 on which it is rotatably mounted and carries between the walls a pinion 27 which meshes with the joist rack 7. The inner edges of the housing flanges 26 extend to beyond the outer joist ange 24 and carry stub shafts 28 which carry guide rollers 29 which engage the respective inner half surfaces of the outer flange 24 of the joist 6.

In normal use the joists 6 are kept xed vertically in relation to the building floors 8, 9 and 10 by means of pins 30 passing through registering slotted holes 31 in lugs 32 welded to the plate 18 and through the wings 14 of the lowest shoes 12. The pins 3i) are provided with locking hasps 33.

A continuous control cord 34 is passed around two pulleys 35 at the respective ends of the joist 6, The cord 34 is coupled to a reversing switch 36 so that the motor 22 can be run forwards or reverse or stopped.

With the shoes 12 secured to the lower floors 8, 9 and and the joists locked to the lowest shoes at floor 8, rotation of the motor 22 in either direction rotates the pinion 27 and displaces the platform 20 upwards or downwards along the joist racks 7.

When the top floor 11 has been poured and has devel'- oped portion of its ultimate strength the whole equipment is lifted up one floor. To do this the platform is provided with pockets 37 into which suitable needle beams 38 can be inserted as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. The beams 38 are then wedged between the floors by struts 39. The shoes 12 are then disconnected from the joists 6 by removing the pins 30. Rotation of the motor 22, which at this stage, being xed to the platform 20, cannot move vertically, then displaces the joists 6 vertically. When the joists 6 have been lifted one floor spacing, i.e. from 8 to 9, they are relocked to the shoes 12 of floor 9.

What I claim is:

1. Hoisting equipment comprising at least one generally upright post, a first readily detachable mounting means detachably mounted on the post and adapted to be mounted on a rigid stationary structure for holding the post in a generally upright position relative to said stationary structure, a platform relatively-movably associated with said post, a second readily detachable mounting means detachably mounted on said platform and adapted to be secured to said rigid stationary structure for retaining said platform in a fixed position relative to said structure, and displacing means coupled between said platform and said post and comprising a toothed rack securely associated with lsaid post, at least one toothed pinion rotatably -rnounted on said platform and engaging the rack Ion the said post, and means coupled to said pinion for rotating the said pinion, said displacing means displacing the platform in substantially vertical directions relative to said structure and said post when the platform is detached from and the post or posts are retained by said structure and displacing thepost in substantially vertical directions relative to said structure when said post is detached therefrom and said platform is retained thereby.

2. Hoisting equipment as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for retaining the platform comprise spaced needle beams adapted to rest on one part of said structure, said beams extending outwardly beneath said platform, and struts at the inner ends of said beams adapted to extend between said beams and a further part o-f the structure to hold said beams against said one part of said structure.

3. Hoisting equipment as claimed in claim 1, in which there are two said posts associated in spaced relation with said structure, and said platform has a pinion adjacent each end thereof, the respective pinions being in engagement with the racks on the respective posts and the platform extending between the posts.

4. Hoisting equipment as claimed in claim 3, wherein the readily detachable mounting means comprises at least one shoe adapted to be secured to said structure and means on said shoe detachably coupling the post to the shoe.

5. Hoisting equipment as claimed in claim 4, wherein said structure is a building and said shoes are adapted to be attached to a floor thereof.

6. Hoisting equipment as claimed in claim 4, wherein each said shoe has a base and spaced extensions projecting beyond the base, said extensions being turned towards each other at their -outer ends, a portion of the said post being located between the base and the turned outer ends of said extensions, to prevent said posts from tilting away from said structure and to retain them in their substantially vertical position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 394,781 12/88 Maurer 187-19 X 593,677 11/97 Neddermann 182-82 1,702,783 2/ 29 Kiesling 187-95 2,419,145 4/47 Kersenbrock 254-142 2,491,621 12/49 Roos 182--58 2,647,675r 8/53 Bernett 187-6 2,754,012 7/56 Hines 212-558 2,796,299 6/57 Freeman 182--141 X 2,928,556 3/60 White 212-64 3,016,989 l/62 Lindmark 187-19 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,203,098 7/ 59 France.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.

ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Examiner. 

1. HOISTING EQUIPMENT COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE GENERALLY UPRIGHT POST, A FIRST READILY DETACHABLE MOUNTING MEANS DETACHABLY MOUNTED ON THE POST AND ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON A RIGID STATIONARY STRUCTURE FOR HOLDING THE POST IN A GENERALLY UPRIGHT POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID STATIONARY STRUCTURE, A PLATFORM RELATIVELY-MOVABLY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID POST, A SECOND READILY DETACHABLE MOUNTING MEANS DETACHABLY MOUNTED ON SAID PLATFORM AND ADAPTED TO BER SECURED TO SAID RIGID STATIONARY STRUCTURE FOR RETAINING SAID PLATFORM IN A FIXED POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID STRUCTURE, AND DISPLAYING MEANS COUPLED BETWEEN SAID PLATFORM AND SAID POST AND COMPRISING A TOOTHED RACK SECURELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID POST, AT LEAST ONE TOOTHED PINION ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID PLATFORM AND ENGAGING THE RACK ON THE SAID POST, AND MEANS COUPLED TO SAID PINION FOR ROTATING THE SAID PINION, SAID DISPLACING MEANS DISPLACING THE PLATFORM IN SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL DIRECTIONS 